Five royal reasons Sweden's Estelle is the coolest princess

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Sweden's Princess Estelle turns four today. On her birthday, The Local takes a closer look at the reasons why she is Europe's coolest royal.

1. She'd rather have a hamster than a baby sibling

Crown Princess Victoria is expecting her second child in just a couple of weeks' time, and has consistently refused to comment on the baby's gender. But Estelle? She's not bothered. As her mum told reporters in January: "What she really wants is a hamster."

However, the Royal Palace declined to reveal on Tuesday whether or not a hamster was part of the young princess' birthday presents. "Haha, I have no comments," press spokesperson Margareta Thorgren laughed when asked by the Aftonbladet tabloid.

Estelle may be of royal birth, but with her gappy smile and love for pink hairbands and ponies she could be any other four-year-old. In fact, a Swedish mum told The Local earlier this month that her own daughter looked so much like the princess that she struggled to tell herself apart from her royal doppelganger.

If the royal family ever need some Swedish crispbread or Christmas holiday cookies for their next grand party, Estelle's got them covered. A viral video published at the end of the year showed her hard at work preparing traditional goodies for the festive season with a rolling pin in her hand. And in another clip from the year before, aged less than three, the young princess chef took command when preparing gingerbread snaps with her parents.

She's also already out-performing her parents at one of Sweden's most-loved sports. Her dad, Prince Daniel, revealed to reporters on Monday that she's got him beaten on a pair of skis. Smiling proudly, he said: "She's much better than me. She's been out on the slopes every season during the past couple of years."

4. She always cheers for Sweden

The royals' main job is to represent Sweden abroad, and Estelle has already shown she does not mind donning the blue and yellow colours. And unlike her cousin Princess Leonore (who actually lives in London now) and Britain's Prince George, who both tend to act a little shy in public, Estelle does not mind taking centre stage. Adorable pictures of her watching Sweden face Finland in a major ice hockey tournament with her mum and dad in Stockholm earlier in February showed an ecstatic princess being her team's by far loudest and happiest supporter.

But despite being outgoing and easily becoming the main focal point of the room, Estelle is happy to take a step back to take care of her younger relatives. She's often seen looking out for her cousins Leonore and Prince Nicolas even in public. When her granddad, King Carl XVI Gustaf, celebrated his 69th birthday last year she again showed she's clearly the most forceful character in the royal family by helpfully, but firmly, making sure one-year-old Leonore stood up straight (pictures here).

Cousins are friends that will love you forever. Happy birthday dear Estelle! From your cousin Leonore